2002 San Marino Grand Prix
14 April | officialname = XXII Gran Premio di San Marino | circuit = Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari | location = Imola, Italy | circuittype = Permanent racing facility | lapdistance = 4.933 | laps = 62 | distance = 305.846 | pole = Michael Schumacher | polenation = GER | poleteam = | poletime = 1:21.091 | fastestlap = 1:24.170 | fastestlapdriver = Rubens Barrichello | fastestlapnation = BRA | fastestlapteam = | fastestlapnumber = 48 | winner = Michael Schumacher | winnernation = GER | winnerteam = | second = Rubens Barrichello | secondteam = | secondnation = BRA | third = Ralf Schumacher | thirdteam = | thirdnation = GER}} The 2002 San Marino Grand Prix, officially advertised as the XXII Gran Premio di San Marino was the fourth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola, Italy, on 14 April 2002.'San Marino GP, 2002', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr684.html, (Accessed 14/11/2019) The race would see Michael Schumacher lead home a popular one-two victory for on home soil, in an otherwise desperately dull Grand Prix. The two Ferraris would be unbeatable throughout the weekend, with Rubens Barrichello almost beating Schumacher to pole position, only for the German ace to clinch it by 0.064s in qualifying. were their closest challengers, Ralf Schumacher ahead of Juan Pablo Montoya, while the two shared an increasingly familiar third row. Indeed, the only thing to deny Ferrari a processional one-two result in the race would be dust and dirt off-line, which ensured that Barrichello had less than optimal conditions when he lined-up on the grid. That hence allowed Ralf Schumacher to launch ahead of him when the race got underway, although the German racer was no threat to his brother in the #1 Ferrari ahead. Behind, Montoya would lead the two McLarens, who again found themselves fending off the attentions of the s, with the two es stalking them as well. The two s also found themselves nose-to-tail throughout the opening lap, just ahead of start of the start Enrique Bernoldi, who had shot up the order in a very light . Out front, meanwhile, it quickly became clear that the Ferraris were going to be unbeatable, with Schumacher sprinting away, while Barrichello crawled all over the back of Ralf Schumacher's Williams. However, the younger Schumacher brother was nothing but stubborn in defence, and placed the #5 Williams beautifully to prevent the #2 Ferrari from slipping ahead. After a brief encounter with Eddie Irvine, which saw the ex-Ferrari racer hold-up his replacement for half a lap while being lapped, Barrichello finally got his chance to take second, with Ralf Schumacher pulling in for his sole stop mid-race. The Brazilian racer duly delivered his best lap of the afternoon on his in-lap and gained 1.5s on the German, and duly emerged from his stop just ahead of the #5 car. With that the race was over, with Barrichello sweeping away from Ralf Schumacher, while Michael Schumacher held an imperious lead. Behind, Montoya ran on in a lonely fourth, while Kimi Räikkönen had a quiet run in fifth, until an exhaust failure melted his rear suspension. Räikkönen's demise promoted teammate David Coulthard into fifth, although the Scot's optimistic one-stop strategy backfired as he was overhauled by a three-stopping Jenson Button. Behind them ran Jarno Trulli ahead of Felipe Massa, with the Brazilian pulling the only on-track of the race after lap two on 58, taking the Renault on the run to Rivazza. That, ultimately was how the race finished, with Michael Schumacher and Barrichello cruising to the flag throughout the final laps. Ralf Schumacher kept the #2 Ferrari in sight through to the chequered flag to complete the podium, with Montoya, Button and Coulthard, who was lapped in the closing stages, claiming the rest of the points. Background Michael Schumacher extended his Championship lead after his second win of the campaign, moving eight clear at the head of the pack. Ralf Schumacher, meanwhile, had moved into second ahead of his teammate Juan Pablo Montoya, with those three the only drivers in double figures. Behind, Jenson Button climbed into fourth ahead of the two , with eleven drivers on the score sheet. In the Constructors Championship had done enough to hold their Championship lead, although their advantage had been cut to six points. hence still loomed large in their mirrors, moving onto 24 points, with McLaren-Mercedes already a distant third, sixteen behind their Italian rivals. Behind, were sat in fourth ahead of and , while remained ahead of . Entry list The full entry list for the is outlined below: Practice Overview Qualifying Qualifying Report Qualifying Results The full qualifying results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session. *'Bold' indicates a driver's best/qualifying time. Grid Race Report Results The full results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car. Milestones * started their 150th Grand Prix as a constructor.'4. San Marino 2002', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2002/saint-marin.aspx, (Accessed 14/11/2019) * Pedro de la Rosa started his 50th Grand Prix. * 56th career victory for Michael Schumacher. * secured their 147th win as a constructor and engine supplier. Standings Victory moved Michael Schumacher further ahead in the Drivers Championship after the fourth round of the season, the German ace leaving Imola with a fourteen point advantage. Ralf Schumacher remained his closest challenger, sat on twenty points, with Juan Pablo Montoya keeping in touch with his teammate, just three further back. Next up was Jenson Button on eight ahead of Rubens Barrichello, whose first points score of the season made him the twelfth different point scorer of the campaign. In the Constructors Championship had retaken the lead after a two-race absence, establishing a three point advantage. had been forced to make way for the Scuderia, although they remained the most likely challengers to the Italian squad in-spite of the former's dominance in Imola. Behind, lost more ground, and just avoided slipping behind , with the field otherwise unchanged. Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown. References Images and Videos: * References: Category:Grand Prix articles Category:San Marino Grand Prix Category:2002 Grands Prix Category:Grand Prix articles Category:Formula One races in Italy